Locomotive superheater



Feb. 8, 1938. 5 v. z. CARACRISTI 2,107,815

LOCOMOTIVE SUPERHEATER Filed Nov. 3, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTOR N EY h'g mw Z ['aramisiz' I isprovided in usual manner Patented F eh.8, 1 938 "Virginius Z. CaracristhBl-onxville, N. Y., assignor to Thesuperheater Company, New York, N. Y.

Application November 3, 1936, Serial No. 108,944

7 Claims.

The present invention relates to superheaters, and-particularly to animproved sup'erheaterconstructicn adapted to be mounted in thecombustion chamber of a locomotiveboiler. This application is. acontinuation in part of my co-pending application, Serial No. 37,275,filed August 12, 19,35.

; A feature of the present invention is that the j heat absorbingelements of the superheater exm tend transversely of a locomotivecombustion and areconnected to inlet andoutlet .chamber headers whichare located exteriorly oi. water circulating tubes that line the sidewalls of the combustion chamber. j A: second feature ofthe superheaterconstruction disclosed herein is that any of its tubes may readily be.cleaned without dismounting it from the locomotive.

;.Other features and. advantages of the inven- 'tionwill become apparentupon consideration of the following detailed. description and appendedclaims when read in conjunction with the acj companying drawings inwhich:

7 Fig. l is a longitudinal sectional view of a loco- Fig. 2. is ahorizontalsectional viewon the line '2.-.2inFig.l;-. I :Fig. 3 is atransverse sectional view on the line 353 in Fig.1; 1 Fig. 4 is a topplan view on an enlarged scale and shows the construction of thesuperheater units; 7 r

Fig. 5 is an enlarged. side elevational view showingthe manner in whichthesuperheater units are arranged with respect toeach other; Fig. 6 isan enlarged'scale view, partly broken away, and shows the constructionof a section of a superheater unit at each end thereof, the View beingalong the line 6-6 in Fig. 4; 7 Fig.7 is a sectional view on the line1-! in Fig.

a d 1 Fig; 8 is a sectional view on the line 8-8 in Fig. 6. a

combustion chamber l3 of the locomotive. Drum I0 extends partly over awater barrel l4 and comlatter I through several large nipples l5, one ofwhich'is shown in Fig. 1.

The water barrel I4 with fire tubes and I fiues connected between theback sheet {6 and a m-front' sheetwhich is nots'hown. Other largenipmotive boiler showing the superheater of the present inventionappliedthereto;

their lower ends into a ples l8 connect the lower side portions ofbarrel l4 to a pair of water drums 20 disposed along and outwardly ofthe lower sides of combustion chamber I3 and fire box I2.

The side walls of the fire box and combustion chamber are lined withclosely spaced water circulating tubes 2| connected at their lower endsinto the drums 20 and at their upper ends into individual headers 22(Fig. 3) which in turn are connected to the steam and water drum in bytubes 23 extending partially across the topof the fire box andcombustion chamber. The use of individual headers provides for unequalexpansion or contraction of these tubes due to varying temperaturesalong the fire box and combustion chamber and also facilitates cleaningof these tubes.

A series of small pipes 42, having their upper sides within the drum Illcut away, conducts steam to dry pipes 43 which supply the inlet headersfor superheater units located in combustion chamber [3. The headers 44are disposed vertically outside the wall tubes 2! at each side of thecombustion chamber and the heat absorbing portions of the superheaterunits 46 extend transversely of the combustion chamber, projecting fromthe latter at their ends between more widely spaced wall tubes 2|. Theunits that connect the inlet header 44 at either side of the boiler tothe outlet header 4'! at the same" side thereof are nested orintercalated longitudinally of the chamber I3 with those connected tothe headers at the other side of the chamber, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4.The superheater outlet headers are also disposed vertically outside thewall tubes 2! and are connected to conduits 48a extending forwardlyalong the sides of the locomotive to the throttle (not shown).

The superheater 45 is protected by a screen comprising staggered risertubes 5| connecting at transverse header 52 communicating with drums 29and also connected radially into drum. ID at their upper ends. A drypipe 53 receiving steam from drum I 0 through pipes 54, similar to pipes42, supplies saturated steam to superheater elements 55 disposed withinthe lines of barrel l4, the superheated steam from these units mixingwith that from the units in the combustion chamber.

The superheater arrangement described above is as disclosed in myaforesaid application. An improved form of construction for the units ofthe superheater is illustrated in Figs. 4 to 8. A

header 44- at one side of the superheater to the outlet header t'l atthe same side thereof and extend in loop form back and forth across thecombustion chamber. As mentioned above, units d8 connected to headers atone side are intercalated between the looped portions of units 49connected at their ends to the headers at the other side of thecombustion chamber. Each of the units it, til is divided into aplurality of sections 5t, 55 connectedfor continuous steam flow byauxiliary headers or coupling members 52, 53. Each section, as 5i),comprises two spaced pairs of parallelly extending tubes, the tubes 54and 55 of one pair being vertically aligned and comprising an inletsection. The tubes 58 and 6B of the other pair are similarly aligned andcomprise an outlet section. At one end the tubes of each pair are joinedby an integrally formed breeches piece 64% to each other and to a singletube length 66, 63 projecting between the circulating tubes and receivedat its outer end in the hollow coupling member 52 which provide forcontinuous steam flow through contiguous sections of a unit. The inletbranch 54, 56 or" the first section of a unit and the outlet branch 53,til of its last section communicates respectively with the inlet andoutlet headers 44 and 4? respectively. The coupling member 52 is formedwith clean-out openings normally closed by plugs it and the axes ofthese openings are so disposed with respect to those of the tubes, suchas 54, 56 that a clean-out tool may be inserted into either by way ofthe single tube length 56, or the tube length 88 for the tubes 58, 6t.At their other ends one tube, as 54, of each pair is adjoined to thenearest adjacent tube, as 58, of the other pair by an integrally formedbreeches piece i2, '54 at the inner end of single tube lengths it, '38which in turn are joined by a breeches piece til terminating in a singletube length 82 received in a drain box M, or 85 for the units 49. Thedrain boxes as, 85 are located outside the rows of circulating tubes 2!and the single tube lengths it, it connecting with the breeches pieces12, Hi

joining the tubes t l, 58 and 5E, Bil respectively, with the breechespiece extend between the circulating tubes 2i so that the breeches piecejoining these single tube lengths it, H3 at their outer ends does. notobstruct gas flow.

Inasmuch as the units connected between the inlet and outlet headers atone side of the super heater are intercalated with those connecting withthe headers at the other side, the drain boxes for the units is arelocated at the same side of the superheatcr as the coupling membore 52for the other set of units at, and viceversa. The two pairs of tubesforming a section of a unit are staggered with respect to each other,The coupling member joining one section of any unit to its nextcontiguous section extends beneath the drain boxes for the sections ofunits communicating with the headers on the other side of thesuperheater, each coupling member receiving the single tube length 63 ofthe outlet branch 58, (it of each section is turned upwardly at itsforward end to meet the single tube length 56 leading to the inletbranch 5 5b of the following section. Thus, the coupling members for oneset of units are nested with the drain boxes for the other set of units.Accordingly mutual support of the units is obtained from top to bottomand the lowermost units may be supported upon the water drums 2d of theboiler.

It may be seen that the superheater construction described above is socompact that a considerable amount of superheating surface may belosingle tube lengths at sorbing units cated within the combustionchamber of a 1000- motive boiler. At the same time any of thetubescomprising the superheater may be individually cleaned becauseconvenient access is afforded thereto through the related clean-outopenings n the coupling members 52, 53 and all of the latter may bereached by removing the outer casing plates 9!], Fig. 2. Furthermore,whenever any tube requires repair or replacement it is not necessary toremove the entire unit but only the section of which the particular tubeforms a part,

the section being withdrawn between tubes 2! after disconnecting it fromthe coupling members joining it to the preceding and following sectionsof the unit.

What I claim is:

1. In a superheater; inlet and outlet headers; a heat absorbing unitconnected between. said headers and divided into a plurality of sectionseach having a steam inlet branch and a steam outlet branch parallelthereto, each branch comprising a pair of parallel tubes connected ateach end by a breeches piece to the inner ends of single tube lengths;coupling members receiving the outer ends of the single tube lengths atone end of each branch and connecting the section to the preceding andfollowing sections of the unit for circulation of fluid in seriestherethrough; and breeches pieces joining the outer ends of the singletube lengths at the other end of both branches to anotherr single tubelength; and means closing the outer end of said mentioned single tubelength.

2. In a superheater; a heat absorbing unit connected between saidheaders and divided into a plurality of sections each having a steaminlet branch and a steam outlet branch parallel thereto, each branchcomprising a pair of parallel tubes connected at each end by a breechespiece to the inner ends of single tube lengths; coupling membersreceiving the outer ends of the single tube lengths at one end of eachbranch and connecting the section to the preceding and followingsections of the unit for circulation of fluid in series therethrough;and breeches pieces joining the outer ends of the v the other end ofboth branches to another single tube length; and a drain box receivingthe outer ends of said last mentioned single tube length and formed witha normally closed opening for discharging fluid from any of the tubesconstituting said inlet and outlet branches of a section of a unit.

3. In a boiler having a combustion chamber, and rows of spaced fluidcirculating tubes arranged on opposite walls of said chamber; asuperheater having inlet and outlet headers located exteriorly of saidtube rows and heat abdisposed within and extending across said chamber,each unit being divided into a plurality of sections having inlet andoutlet branches each comprising a pair of parallel tubes connected ateach end by breeches pieces to the inner ends of single tube lengthsprojecting between said circulating tubes; coupling members locatedexteriorly of said circulating tubes at one side of said chamber andreceiving thebuter ends of the single tube lengths at one end of eachbranch of a section and connecting said section to the preceding andfollowing sections of the unit, the axes of said last mentioned singletube lengths being aligned with normally closed cleaninlet and outletheaders; I

respect to the axes of the thereto so that a cleaning bar and locatedwith pair of tubes joined tool may be inserted into either of said pairof tubes; breeches pieces joining the outer ends of V the single tubelengths at the other end of the mentioned single tube lengths,-saidboxes being a charging fluid from any of the tubes of each provided withnormally closed openings for dissection of a unit.

' 4. A tubular heat absorbing element for asuperheater or the likehaving inlet and outlet branches each comprising a pair of paralleltubes joined at f one end thereof by breeches pieces to single tubelengths adapted to connect with fluid circulating headers; breechespieces joining the other'ends of one tube of each branch to one tube:of; the

other branch and to the inner ends of single tube lengths;

and a breeches piece joining said last mentioned single tube lengths toeach other and to another single tube length; and removable closuremeans closing the outer end of said single tube length.

'r 5. In a locomotive boiler having a combustion chamber; rows of spacedfluidcirculating tubes lining the side walls of said chamber; asuperheater having an inlet header and an outlet header locatedexteriorly of the rows of tubes at onesidel of said chamber; a. heatabsorbing element connected between said inlet and outlet headersdivided into a plurality of sections each comprising two pairs ofparallelly extending tubes; breaches pieces joining the tubes of eachpair at one end to each other and to single tube lengths projectingbetween the tubes of the row at one side of said chamber; a couplingmember positioned exteriorly of said tube row and connecting the singletube length leading from one 1 pair to the preceding section of the unitand that from the other pair to the following section; breeches piecesjoining the other end of one tube of each pair to the adjacent tube ofthe other last mentioned single tube lengths to each other and toanother single tube length; and removable closure means closing theouter end of last mentioned tube length.

6. In a superheater having a plurality of units each divided into aplurality of coupled sections as recited in claim 2; inlet headers atopposite sides of the superheater each spaced from an outlet header atthe same side of the superheater, the said sections which constitute aunit that connectsiwith the inlet and outlet headers at one side of thesuperheater being intercalated longitudinally of the superheater withthe sections that constitute a unit connected With the inlet and outletheader at the opposite side of the superheater and the coupling membersjoining the contiguous sections of each unit each extending beneath andsupporting a drain box for a section of a unit connected between theheaders at'the other side of the superheater.

7. In a superheater; an inlet header and outlet header at each sidethereof; a plurality of sectional heat absorbing units, as recited inclaim 2, connected between each inlet and outlet header and arranged inparallel rows with units which are connected to the inlet and outletheader at one side of said superheater intercalated longitudinally ofthe latter with the units that are connected to the headers on the otherside of the superheater, the coupling members joining contiguoussections of the respective units being arranged in spaced horizontalrows at the same side of the superheater as the headers to which therespective units are connected and the related drain boxes beingarranged in spaced horizontal rows at the opposite side of thesuperheater and located between and supported by coupling members thatjoin the sections of units connecting with the headers at said oppositeside; and means supporting the lowermost units.

VIRGINIUS Z. CARACRISTI.

